The Power Of Beliefs: How Our Meanings Decide Our Destiny

What is a belief? It’s a feeling of certainty about what something means. The challenge is that most of our beliefs are generalizations about our past, based on our interpretations of painful and pleasurable experiences.

The challenge is, most of us do not consciously decide what we’re going to believe. Instead, often our beliefs are misinterpretations of past events. How do ideas turn into beliefs? Think of an idea like a tabletop with no legs. Without any legs, the tabletop won’t even stand up by itself. Belief, on the other hand, has legs. To believe something, you have references to support the idea—specific experiences that back up the belief. These are the legs that make your tabletop solid and that make you certain about your beliefs.
For example, if you believe you’re extremely intelligent, you likely have a lot of references to back it up. Maybe you did well in school, people always tell you how smart you are, you catch onto things quickly, etc. You can find experiences to back up almost any belief. The key is to make sure that you’re consciously aware of the beliefs you’re creating. If they don’t empower you, change them.

All personal breakthroughs begin with a change in beliefs. The moment we begin to honestly question our beliefs and the experiences we assign to them, we no longer feel absolutely certain about them. This opens the door to replacing your old, disempowering beliefs with new beliefs that support you in the direction you want to go.

If you develop the absolute sense of certainty that powerful beliefs provide, then you can get yourself to accomplish virtually anything, including those things other people are certain are impossible.

Here are ten examples of empowering beliefs to try on:
1. The past does not equal the future.
2. There is always a way if I’m committed.
3. There are no failures, only outcomes—as long as I learn something I’m succeeding.
4. If I can’t, I must; if I must, I can.
5. Everything happens for a reason and a purpose that serves me.
6. I find great joy in little things… a smile… a flower… a sunset.
7. I give more of myself to others than anyone expects.
8. I create my own reality and am responsible for what I create.
9. If I’m confused, I’m about to learn something.
10. Every day above ground is a great day.